[Costs of Saudi Arabia's Neom green hydrogen mega-project soar by $3.5 billion]Budgets for the Neom green hydrogen mega-project, which will tap vast green energy capacity, have soared 70% to $8.5 billion, according to a financial update from co-developer Air Products. Inflation, spare parts, land upfront costs and interest on a $1 billion loan all contributed to the $3.5 billion budget increase the company is developing in the deserts of northwestern Saudi Arabia with partner ACWA Power, a Saudi renewable energy development Merchant and Neom. Editor/Xing Wentao
On July 15, 2026, the first deep-sea and intelligent submarine cable construction ship "Tianyi Navigator" designed and built by China was officially listed in Shanghai. The captain is 116 meters long, with a full load displacement of 18000 tons. The cable hold can carry 8000 tons of submarine optical cables, ranking first in the world. Equipped with 5.5-meter submarine cable burial equipment, it can operate at depths of up to 1000 meters, breaking the domestic depth record. Integrating Beidou and GPS dual-mode positioning, equipped with an intelligent dynamic positioning system, stable operation can still be achieved under level 5 sea conditions. The ship will be involved in the construction of submarine cables between global computing hubs, supporting AI computing scheduling and deployment of underwater data centers, and becoming an important equipment support for China's computing infrastructure.Editor/Cheng Liting
On July 15, 2026, the Shuzhi Hydrogen Energy Machinery Innovation Park started construction in Dongxihu District, Wuhan, with an expansion of 120 acres. The total investment has not been disclosed, and the plan is to form an annual production capacity of 100 sets of hydrogen compressor sleds, 1GW PEM electrolysis cells, and 1.75GW ALK electrolysis cells for assembly and testing. The previous 55 acres of the park have been put into use as a data intelligence service center and a hydrogen production and refueling equipment quality inspection center. The new park covers the entire chain of research and development, intelligent manufacturing, and testing, deeply integrating AI and digital twin technologies. This move marks the official launch of the construction of China Petrochemical's hydrogen energy equipment industry cluster. Editor/Cheng Liting